User blog:StarBlazerM31/Andromedan Society Theory
The Andromedans are my favorite race in Space Cases. This largely stems from my interest in the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) itself, which I've had since before I even saw Space Cases at age 12. And now at age 34, I find myself on a huge nostalgia kick; desperately missing my favorite television show of all time, and mourning the fact that so many pages on this wikia are just blank, with no information to place on them. So, I offer my theories. On the Unofficial Space Cases Website, spacecasestv.com, only a small hint of Andromedan society is given. On Radu 386's character page ( http://www.spacecasestv.com/radu.html ), it states "Andromedan culture is built around a uniformity of mind and purpose, much like 20th century Earth Japanese team management, but taken to extremes." If this is the case, then by studying Japanese team management we can get a glimpse into the idea, and through that form a theory of their society. In Japanese team management, the flow of information is paramount. More specifically, the flow from the bottom to the top. Policies are made by middle management, who have direct contact with both lower team members and upper management. With open communication from team members and middle management, the new policies are submitted to upper management for approval. The job of upper management is basically to supervise. They leave the more active managing to middle management. But all levels of management are "open door." This is important both for the flow of information as well as a positive work environment. Management isn't strict. In fact, ambition and force aren't seen as something required in management. Respect is a big deal in Japanese team management. This creates a teamwork environment. As far as basic communication, only basic and vague instructions are given. The team member is to ask questions if they don't understand their tasks. Once again, open communication. (paraphrased Warburton, Keith. "Japanese Business Management Style." World Business Culture. ''2017. https://www.worldbusinessculture.com/country-profiles/japan/culture/business-management-style/.) '''Basic Concept' Now let's apply these ideas in terms of a society. Let's assume the basic idea of Japanese team management applies to Andromedans, mainly open communication. And for the sake of what the unofficial Space Cases site says, that it's taken to extremes. This possibly means that everyone communicates everything. Actions, feelings, intentions, etc. "Hey, I'm gonna do this thing." "Hey, I know you asked me to do this thing, but I feel that this thing isn't necessary." "I intend to do this thing because ______." Let's invent some management titles. I have an ongoing Space Cases fanfic, so I will use the terms I've created just for the sake of labels. (If you don't like them, I apologize. This is just for the sake of theory. They are a bit hokey, but let's not pretend that Space Cases'' wasn't'' a bit hokey. I do not own the source material of Space Cases, however, my original supportive ideas are mine and mine alone. Please, no stealing.) Let's call middle management "Matri (short for Matriarch) and Patri (short for Patriarch). Upper management we will call "High Matri/Patri." If we take the example given, we can assume that Matris/Patris delegate tasks and teachings to the "team members" or "Childri" of Andromedans. They treat them with respect and are always available when a childri has a question or a problem that they are having difficulty finding a solution for. However childri are expected to pull their own weight and perform tasks given to them by their immediate Matri/Patri. If the childri needs a more thorough explanation of a task or teaching, the Matri/Patri will gladly go into more detail and accepting more questions as based on the need. High Matris/Patris only need to get directly involved in situations if there is no suitable solution to a problem available, or they are needed to finalize a plan that needs implementation. For example, when the Spung captured the Andromedan hatchery ship, it would have been the final decisions of the High Matris/Patris to accept slavery over the destruction of the future generations of Andromedans. Religion As stated on spacecasestv.com, Andromedans worship a singular god named Yon. He is their god of Unity. "Andromedan culture is built around a uniformity of mind and purpose." This could mean that everyone dresses the same, acts the same, thinks the same, etc.; or it could mean an overall harmony, still allowing for individualism. Let's consider Japanese Team Management. The company wants to succeed. In order for that to happen, everyone needs to be unified in their goals. In any company, the staff is made up of individuals. They all have their own likes, dislikes, personal tastes, and hobbies; but these aspects of the individual do not hinder him/her from the goals of the company. The Andromedan "goal" is unity, as personified by their diety. Therefore it would make sense that the concept of uniformity could mainly refer to behavior. However, there are definitely tenants in Yonian belief that do regulate outward appearance. It is seen in Yonian custom that exposing one's skin is in bad taste. So it can definitely be assumed that Andromedans wear garments that cover all areas of the body, save for the face. Behavior Andromedans behave a certain way. There is a submissive air to Andromedans because they believe in unity; aggressiveness hinders unity and does not promote respect. Radu is quick to back down from confrontations with Harlan. Being aggressive won't unify Harlan and Radu, especially with the level of Harlan's own aggression. It is best to let the situation simmer down, and be re-approached later when more civility is possible. It can be assumed (based on what we have seen of Radu) that Andromedans have strict control over their tempers. First, this goes along with unity. Second; their race has extremely sensitive hearing, and are also super-strong. Outbursts could be catastrophic both by hearing the outburst and by the collateral damage incurred by the individual(s). The damage done by Radu in the episode "Who Goes Where" (incidentally my favorite episode) is a good example of what could happen with a lack of self-control. It is also possible that outbursts could include laughter as well. Radu seems inept at humor, and this could possibly be that there isn't much humor in Andromedan behavior. An outburst of laughter could cause pain to nearby Andromedans; so it could be speculated that Andromedans try to control any form of extreme emotion. It is also suggested by Radu's behavior that showing gratitude is a staple of Andromedan behavior. Even if the action wasn't necessarily kind, if there was a good intention behind it, gratitude should be shown. For example in the episode "A Day in the Life," THELMA wakes Radu up by whispering his name. He jolts upright and says "THELMA, you don't have to scream! But...thanks." Her method of waking him up wasn't exactly pleasant to him, but he saw her intention, and he still appreciated it. Radu has also shown us that manners are another aspect of Andromedan behavior. In the episode "A Star is Boring" Radu quickly tells Rosie "Excuse me" before he has to run after the Gizbot. Child Rearing Andromedans clearly don't raise their own individual children, which could actually tie into their beliefs of unity. Not raising one's own offspring eliminates such concepts as nepotism, so no one individual can be placed higher than another based on anything but merit. As far as the actual rearing of children, it is quite possible that Andromedan young are raised in groups. The groups could be quite similar to classrooms, with one Matri/Patri caring for groups of ten to thirty young. This would instill certain values like communication, teamwork, sharing, respect, and overall unity at a very early age. As the children grew older, they could be introduced to other groups of young, which would help them advance in their "team" mentality. As they reach adolescence, they could be fully incorporated into Andromedan society. They could be taught by older Childri how to work for the good of the Andromedan people as a whole and how to bring their concerns to the Matris/Patris and even when speaking to the High Matris/Patris would be appropriate. I firmly believe that Andromedan young are not deprived of parental guidance, just the one-on-one upbringing that typical children experience. I do realize that this concept is very similar to living at an orphanage, and it quite possibly could be; seeing as how Radu has the same attitude towards parents that an orphan child who was raised in an orphanage sometimes has. He can get along with other people, but that intimacy of parentage is a foreign concept to him. Interactions With Other Races Nothing very clear is given on the subject of the Andromdans' interaction with other races, other than what we've seen and read about the UPP and the Spung-Andromedan War. Judging on what Goddard said in "It's My Birthday Too (Yeah!)," STARDOGS are still researching Andromedan society. This leads me to believe that the Andromedans are a very private race. This does not mean that they are xenophobic, necessarily, but perhaps deeply mistrusting of other races since what happened to them at the hands of the Spung. They seem as if they would be a very sensitive group of people. After dealing with such a catastrophic ordeal, they probably needed a substantial amount of time to "lick their wounds" and mentally prepare themselves to trust other races. It seems as if the allowance of Radu 386 to join the Starcademy was their first true expression of trust to the UPP. How they reacted when learning of Radu's disappearance is unknown. But it can be speculated that their mistrust was deepened yet again. It is worth noting that Radu mentions the other races' distrust of Andromedans. It is quite possible that Andromedans feel like "the odd man out" in the entire situation. They mistrust others but don't like to be mistrusted. Well, that's all I have at the moment. I'm sure I'll add to this as I think on it more, but bear in mind, this is all speculation. The next blog article I'm preparing: "Andromedan Biology" Category:Blog posts